The Center for the Study of the American South is committed to strong research and scholarship on the history, contemporary experience, diverse cultures, and global context of the South. As part of that commitment, it presents a free concert series, Music on the Porch, at Love House and Hutchins Forum, on Thursdays. 410 East Franklin Street in Chapel Hill.
The Center also presents other events open to the community, including art exhibits and lectures. Please note the location of the events, because some take place at other places on the UNC campus.
Some upcoming events:
Storytelling on the Porch
Wednesday, March 27th, 2019
5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Free
Kick back and enjoy tall tales from local friends at the inaugural Storytelling on the Porch at the Center for the Study of the American South. Curated by the team at Southern Cultures, this show will feature four storytellers including special guests from the creative team of “Zara,” presented by The Monti and Mettlesome.
Music on the Porch: Zoocrü
Thursday, March 28th, 2019
5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Love House and Hutchins Forum, 410 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill
Free
ZOOCRÜ formed amidst the thriving music and arts community of Durham, North Carolina. The band creates from the core belief that all American music is born from the seeds of Black music. Jazz serves as the foundation, with added elements of hip hop, blues, rock, and gospel.
Music on the Porch: Triangle/Triad Singer/Songwriter Showcase
Thursday, April 11th, 2019
5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Love House and Hutchins Forum, 410 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill
Free
Singer/songwriter showdown between North Carolina’s neighboring tri-city regions. Representing the Triad will be Sam Frazier and Laurelyn Dossett. Representing the Triangle will be Jon Shain, FJ Ventre, and Rissi Palmer.
Sam Frazier’s music blends emotional and musical complexity with the heart of a rock-n-roller. Originally from Greensboro, he has opened for Eric Church, The Neville Brothers, and Craig Morgan. Laurelyn Dossett tells regional stories through songs she writes from her home in the Piedmont and has collaborated with Triad Stage to produce six musical productions. Rissi Palmer is a Durham-based “Southern Soul” musician whose 2007 debut single “Country Girl” made her the first African-American woman to chart a country song since 1987. Jon Shain and FJ Ventre blend improvised Piedmont blues with bluegrass, swing, and ragtime.
Tell About the South: Caroline Newhall
Wednesday, April 17th, 2019
12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Love House and Hutchins Forum, 410 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill
Free, but register.
Caroline Wood Newhall is a Ph.D. candidate at UNC-Chapel Hill in the Department of History and the Center’s 2018-19 McColl Fellow. She will speak about her dissertation research on black prisoners of war who were captured by the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Newhall’s research on Civil War pensions and service records confirms that several thousand black soldiers survived capture and navigated wartime captivity, often as enslaved laborers. Hundreds of survivors later provided exhaustive testimony on their imprisonment when they applied for federal pensions. In this talk, Newhall will discuss how Confederate policy drew upon antebellum precedent, and how men of the United States Colored Troops weakened the Confederacy from within as both invading soldiers and reclaimed slaves.
Music on the Porch: Rachel Baiman
Thursday, April 25th, 2019
5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Love House and Hutchins Forum, 410 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill
Free
As a Chicago native from a politically active family, Rachel Baiman moved to Nashville to focus on music and escape from “constant discussion of seemingly unsolvable problems.” She has since earned a reputation as an award-winning fiddler, versed in old-time, bluegrass, Scottish, and Canadian styles, as well as a notable singer/songwriter. Her 2017 album Shame was featured on NPR’s “Songs We Love” and Folk Alley praised it for “looking at reality rather than sugarcoating anything.”
With her latest album, Thanksgiving, Baiman returns to her roots as a socially conscious musician, singing about feeding the homeless and protecting indigenous rights during “times like these,” in which “the good gets you through the bad.” The album also allowed her a chance to stretch stylistically between bluegrass, folk, old-time, and country. “I love the political tradition of folk music, from Woody Guthrie to Tupac,” says Baiman, “and my hope is that this record adds another voice to it.” You can sample her work on SoundCloud and YouTube.
